G'day! It's time for our new LESSology challenge. Have you ever decorated an envelope?

Or maybe it's something you like doing? Either way, we'd love you see your take:)

Now, I know you won't be freaked out by me starting a Christmas project.... and I wanted to go TOTALLY recyclable this time round. So I found an old K-Mart sales 'junk mail' catalogue. Decided I'd do an image transfer of this Chrissy tree.

And cut some baubles from these. But I backed 'em onto cardboard to make them a bit easier to cut:

And finally, the chevron placemats looked like washi tape to me!

Somewhere in there, I thought about Klimt...& whilst the glue was still wet on the tree, tossed on some embossing powder in gold glitter. Then added some Inka Gold. So, here's what it looks like all decorated up:

Oh! I added glitter to the baubles. Of course ;)

And some stamping on my 'washi'!!

The back I also added some 'faux' washi & that's about all:

I'm sorry for all the photos....but I was so excited to get the brain thinking about different ways of using junk mail, giggles;) Thanks for looking & we'd love to see your prettied-up envelopes for our LESSOLOGY challenge:)

The other day I was working with some cards I had made and I came across an envelope that had gotten a bit messed up. Instead of tossing it in the bin, I decided it would make a great pocket to hold some memorabilia.

I used one of my favorite stamps with some white embossing power and then inked it up with some ink pads. Then I glued the envelope down on the page and started filling it.

Recently I went through some stuff from my Gram and found a couple of cool things that I was saving for a page like this. One was a list of paints and another was a piece of note paper from her desk. I paired that up with a brush that was a bit injured (you shouldn't use the other end of a brush for prying, but hey you probably knew that). Voila, an arty look for my budding artist, Miss Lexi.

Lexi in her leather coat and cool scarf was looking arty in that photo. I think it's funny I caught Luke in the background too too. It's just one of those random photos you talk of your kids that later you look at and love.

Hope you get a chance to hang with us here at LESSology and participate in our upcycling envelope challenge. I am positive you have one that isn't all that nice in your stash that needs a bit of love. If not, just wait a day for the mail to arrive and snag one before you toss it!

Welcome to April's LESSology Challenge. The challenge is to decorate an envelope. I'd been thinking about it for a long time.

I think I mentioned I hoard cardboard... but I also hoard envelopes. Especially padded ones that I think I might be able to re-use either to mail something or as packing inside one of the cardboard boxes I've stowed away. This is what I started with (the front and back is inset-forgot to take a pic before I started... this is after I began painting it with black gesso):

IDK ... probably some kind of crafty thing I ordered came in it... the seal was ripped, and I had to tear the label off. I had bought this cool tissue paper a while ago I think from the Funkie Junkie and knew I wanted to cover the envelope with it and in the beginning I was going to make it in a manner that I could actually mail something in it, but as is usually the case, I got carried away.

The tissue paper is old timey newspapery. I chose the black paint instead the white for the base because I wanted it to be dark. Then I used some of my favorite washi tape all around the edges... in some places for decoration and in others to fix imperfections from me ripping open the envelope to get out whatever wonderful goodies were contained within. Then I added some white paint (well... I had to because I tried stenciling on a lace pattern and it looked like a blob so....) I added some white paint and then gold paint to lighten it up before I got out the sponge brush and glue again.. and do you see that beautiful napkin that I modge podged on after? I received that in the mail from none other than Yvonne Yam a few months ago ... I thought it added just the right touch of feminine against the dark vintage mess.

I got out all of my wonderful postage stamp sets and was going to stamp and emboss the postage on it and then I came across another envelope .. this one I'd saved because it had an important return address on it...but it also had on it these beautiful postage stamps! Yes! Stamps... not metered stickers! So I added them and the modge podge really wasn't working so I had to use some fabric washi tape to be sure it stayed put. Then I did stamp a little postage marking and do you see who I see ever so lightly in gold embossing? It's Sassy Owl... I just love her.. of course they made a postage stamp of her!

In the area where you'd normally put the send to address, I decided a doily was in order and when trying to decide what to put there... perhaps the name and address of the person this is going to? Nah! That would spoil the surprise.. I thought of this great stamp set from the Cutting Café Shop and knew it was perfect!﻿

Even the back did not escape my modge podgery! I created a tie to hold it shut with a couple wood pieces I recently received as part of a prize package. I knew the buttons needed something on them and then I thought again of those gorgeous napkins.. don't worry... I still have one left... that's for me!

Hope you can play along with us this month and I can't wait to see what you create! Come back tomorrow for more DT awesomeness!

Apr 4, 2016

In the age of technology, doesn't it delight you to receive some snail mail? This month, we want to see your decorated envelopes for LESSology Challenge #57: Snail Mail Revolution. Your challenge if you choose to accept it, is to decorate an envelope. :)

Remember, you can create any project you want as long as you include at least ONE upcycled item. Please let us know what it is on your blog as it may not be apparent to us.

Here is this month's prize.

How about a sneak at the design team's projects?

Ready to play along? Please link up your newly created projects featuring a decorated envelope via InLinkz [located at the end of the post] by Sunday May 1, 11.55pm EST.